My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 322 - 194: Before the Ruins, Morning Star Artifact (2)

Su Chen knew without a doubt that the crowd below must be utterly shocked.

Qing Cang, however, glanced down and said, “All of you, wait here for a moment.”

Before anyone could respond, he had already hurried away.

’Where is he going…?’

Su Chen was a bit confused. He stood to one side with Wan Chen and the others; they had nothing to say to one another, simply waiting in silence.

Qing Cang returned to his room and quickly set things up. He summoned the Bronze Figurine from within his body and bowed respectfully. “Master, we have arrived at the ruins left behind by Martial Uncle.”

“Mm.” The Bronze Figurine nodded. Its pupils glowed as faint data streams flickered within. It glanced down, its gaze seemingly piercing through layer after layer of obstruction.

“So it’s my junior brother’s Red Thunder Cauldron…” the Bronze Figurine sighed.

’The Red Thunder Cauldron…’ Qing Cang was inwardly startled. Then he heard his master continue, “Back when I was seeking my own breakthrough, my junior brother confronted a Deceitful God head-on. Whether he lived or died is unknown.”

“He must have returned to his home planet in search of something. Unfortunately, the Red Thunder Cauldron is severely damaged. Its Energy is depleted, leaving only its basic functions operational.”

“I see…” Qing Cang realized. “No wonder Chong Jingtian said they weren’t particularly strong back then, yet they were able to enter these ruins and even bring out half a Stone Slab.”

After a slight hesitation, Qing Cang added, “Master, I’ve conducted a preliminary assessment of Su Chen. His Heart is resolute and calm, and he is both sharp and perceptive. He hasn’t forgotten the debt he owes to his homeland for raising him. If nothing unexpected happens, I plan to take him as my disciple when this is all over.”

’Normally, there’s no need to report something like this. But since the opportunity is here, I should make my awareness known. If Su Chen leaves an impression on my master, it could bring many benefits later on.’

“Mm.” The Bronze Figurine nodded, unconcerned. Suddenly, however, its pupils flared brightly, a massive torrent of data churning within. It exclaimed in surprise, “Hm? My junior brother actually left behind a fragment of his spirit. Wait here.”

’A fragment of his spirit?’ Qing Cang was taken aback. Before he could process what was happening, the Bronze Figurine had already transformed into a streak of light, pierced through the layers of obstruction, and vanished.

He rushed out the door and returned to the main cabin, asking Su Chen and the others, “Did any of you notice anything unusual just now?”

“We didn’t notice anything.” They all shook their heads, confused.

Qing Cang frowned slightly, looking down at the crimson metal ground below. The ship beneath them vibrated gently; it had landed on the outskirts of the settlement.

The hatch slid open. A large crowd had already gathered at the entrance, led by Chong Jingtian. They were the ones in charge here, representing the four cities.

They were a motley crew of all shapes and sizes. No one was foolish enough to step forward and test him. Their eyes, when they looked at Qing Cang, all held a clear sense of reverence and fear.

“Your Excellency, we have conferred and are ready to open the ruins at any time,” Chong Jingtian said, stepping forward. He then added:

“However, the ruins have an internal screening mechanism. Those who are too old, whose Professional Tier is too high, or whose Talent is too low cannot enter.”

’This must be the basic operational rule left behind by the Red Thunder Cauldron.’

Qing Cang surmised that his martial uncle had returned to his home planet on the brink of death, likely hoping to select a successor to the title of Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator.

Unfortunately, the Nether Fog descended, cutting this place off from everything. The Red Thunder Cauldron was also nearly destroyed, left with only its most basic functions.

’If the Red Thunder Cauldron were fully intact, even I wouldn’t be able to do anything to it.’

’But in its current state, I might be able to break through its restrictions. It would probably take some time, though.’

And with his master now inside, Qing Cang mused for a moment, then said aloud, “In that case, go ahead and prepare to open it.”

Chong Jingtian nodded and immediately led his people toward the metal gateway. The leaders of the four cities took up positions at the four cardinal points, simultaneously raising the prismatic keys in their hands.

Energy poured into them, and four colored beams of light erupted from the tips of the keys. They converged at the apex of the dome, forming a massive cluster of Energy crystals that projected a beam straight down onto the giant gate.

The thin film of Energy covering the gray-black metal gate began to ripple violently, shrinking and curling back like evaporating mercury.

The film receded, revealing the gate itself. In the center of the massive, gray-black metal gate was a lock core that required four streams of Energy to be activated at once.

The four keys shot forward in streaks of light and sank into the core. As the ground began to tremble, the thousand-ton, gray-black gate slowly began to rise.

At the same time, crimson flames spilled from the opening, instantly raising the temperature of the entire area. Arcs of lightning crackled alongside the fire, sending a shiver of fear down the spines of all who watched.

“Sinful Fire Punishment Thunder!” Qing Cang’s eyelid twitched. Watching the crimson flames erupting from the entrance, even he felt his heart skip a beat.

“This is the barrier…” Chong Jingtian said, landing beside him with lingering fear in his voice. “The entrance became like this after we came out the first time. We only understood that there were requirements to get back in after losing many lives.”

“This is a Morning Star Artifact, the Red Thunder Cauldron. Bringing out that half of the Stone Slab triggered its lockdown mechanism,” Qing Cang explained with a sigh.

’This thing is more troublesome than I expected. It won’t be easy to deal with.’

’More importantly, this place is covered in Nether Fog. I can’t guarantee my Foggy Robe won’t be breached. I don’t want to be contaminated by that stuff. At my Professional Tier, it would take a monumental effort to cleanse myself of it back home.’

’Morning Star Artifact?’

Su Chen’s heart stirred. Noticing the increasingly fervent gazes of Wan Chen and the others, he couldn’t help but wonder, ’Does that mean it’s a weapon used by the Morning Star Tier?’

“Master Qing, why don’t we take the Stone Slab and go in first? Once Spiritual Unity is achieved, the lockdown should be lifted, right?” Wan Chen suggested, seeing Qing Cang’s hesitation.

“It’s very dangerous inside,” Chong Jingtian, who was still trying to figure out what a Morning Star Artifact was, warned upon hearing the suggestion. “We have sent many people in, but only a handful have ever returned.”

At this, he glanced at Xia Hanshi, who stood behind him, and added, “Furthermore, some of them seem to be trapped in a strange area. They can’t move, and they seem to be neither alive nor dead.”

“The expulsion zone…” Qing Cang said with understanding. “The ruins are low on Energy, so the screening mechanism is jammed. Those who are rejected can’t get out; they’re just trapped inside.”

“Can they be saved?” Chong Jingtian couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s troublesome.” Qing Cang shook his head. “The expulsion zone is fundamentally a region of frozen time. Normally, rejects wouldn’t be in there for more than a day. But your people… they’ve likely been trapped for years.”

“If they were simply pulled out, the spatio-temporal distortion would instantly turn them to ash.”

Chong Jingtian’s expression shifted at his words.

Su Chen glanced over at Old Xia. The old man’s face was grim, his withered hands clenched into tight fists.

’What is Master doing?’ Qing Cang wondered, looking at the silent ruins.

“Well then…” Wan Chen hesitated. If it was that dangerous inside, he didn’t want to go in either. He hadn’t come here to risk his life.

Lan Hao glanced at the dome above and said gravely, “Let’s not take any chances. We should only go in when it’s safe.”

“Agreed.” Qing Cang nodded. He thought for a moment, then announced, “We’ll make camp here for now. I need to figure out how to deal with this Sinful Fire Punishment Thunder.”

’And wait for Master to come out.’

Qing Cang had made his decision, and no one voiced any objections. There were pre-existing camps nearby, and Wan Chen and the others could stay on the ship, so it was no great inconvenience.

Su Chen certainly had no objections. He was still waiting for the Deceitful God’s Power to arrive.

After giving his orders, Qing Cang walked to the entrance of the ruins. The crimson flames and arcing lightning made his cheek twitch. Strands of pale, bluish-white light clung to his body, coalescing into a suit of thick armor.

Then, he simply walked right in, and was gradually swallowed by the crimson flames. Chong Jingtian and the others could only stare at each other in dismay.

They vividly remembered the second time they had tried to explore the ruins. Someone from Yuan Capital, refusing to believe the warnings, had tried to enter. He was a Tier Six Professional who specialized in physical enhancement.

He had barely gotten half his body inside before he was incinerated into a dried husk right before their very eyes. Since then, no one had dared to go near the entrance.

But it wasn’t long before Qing Cang rushed back out, coughing up black smoke, his face a mask of frustration.

Su Chen found the sight rather odd. Such a disheveled state really didn’t match Qing Cang’s usual dignified bearing.

“Damn it…” Qing Cang bit out, gritting his teeth. He wanted to curse but didn’t dare. ’My master is still in there.’

’This Foggy Robe is too restrictive. I can’t just cut loose.’

’My top priority in there was protecting the Foggy Robe from being damaged.’